Miami Heat forward LeBron James sits on the bench during the second half in Game 5 of the NBA basketball finals against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday, June 15, 2014, in San Antonio. The Spurs won the NBA championship 104-87. (David J. Phillip)

Don’t call me crazy, but I honestly believe re-joining the Cavaliers would be the best option for Miami Heat forward LeBron James.
We’ll all know soon whether James is going to opt out of his contract with the Heat. He has to inform the Heat by June 30 whether he’ll walk away from the last two years on his contract.
James embarked on a vacation with his family after their Heat’s bitter loss in the NBA Finals. When he returns, he’ll confer with his family, advisers and agent and make the decision that’s best for him. James might have an inkling of what he’s going to do, but nothing has been finalized, a source said.
Despite Heat president Pat Riley’s plea for him to stay, I believe James will become an unrestricted free agent on July 1. Is his best free-agent option to return to Miami or to sign with the Cavs?
Returning to the Heat might not be in James’ best interest. The Heat’s aging roster has become unappealing. Dwyane Wade might be toast and Chris Bosh has turned into Spencer Hawes. Bosh is a jump shooter, who ventures nowhere near the basket.
Shane Battier is retiring and Ray Allen might soon follow.
James carried that team all season. They finally ran into a better team in San Antonio, which took advantage of the Heat.
I believe if you dropped James onto the Cavs’ roster, it would be a championship contender. The Cavs would have young talent around James, which will likely include the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft.
James is chasing rings. He wants championships. How would the Cavs go from finishing out of the playoff race in 2014 to being a championship contender in 2015? By adding the best player in the league.
CBS basketball analyst Doug Gottlieb agrees with my line of thinking.
“I think it’s definitely possible,” he said. “He could come home and be revered. I don’t know how bitter he is about how it ended and Dan Gilbert’s letter. I don’t know how much he holds it against the city.”
Gottlieb said James would take some flak for leaving Miami, but exiting it might be in his best interest.
“I don’t think going down with the ship in Miami is the smartest thing to do,” he said. “But that’s something that could happen.”
The Cavs would have to renounce free agents like Hawes and Luol Deng to have the necessary space to sign a prominent free agent. Other teams that have cap room - the Jazz, Sixers, Suns and Lakers - might not be destinations that appeal to James.
The Bulls and Rockets could also make a run at James in sign-and-trade deals.
If James wants to return to Cleveland, he’ll have to make his move this summer. That’s because the Cavs might not have salary-cap space next summer. If they sign Kyrie Irving to a maximum extension this summer, that would wipe out their cap space in 2015.
It’s not known how the hiring of coach David Blatt would enter into this possible equation. James is a smart guy and would be able to figure out in 10 minutes whether Blatt has what it takes to be a frontline NBA coach. Would James rather play for someone like Doc Rivers? Of course, but that might not be possible right now.
Witnesses to the postgame press conference at the AT&T Center in San Antonio on June 15 said it was eerily similar to 2010 after James’ last game for the Cavs at TD Garden in Boston.
James seemed detached from the situation. He said he and his family love Miami, but he was not prepared to commit to anything beyond the moment.
If James is going to stay in Miami, the Heat have to figure out a way to talk the “Big Three” into taking pay cuts in order to fortify the supporting cast. Before you scoff, never sell Riley short.

Rumor mill
-- Basically, Cavs have three options in NBA draft: Select Duke’s Jabari Parker or Kansas’ Andrew Wiggins or deal the pick. One would assume the Cavs have crossed Kansas center Joel Embiid off their list. He had surgery on June 20 to insert two screws into his fractured navicular bone in his right foot. He’ll miss the next four to six months - and maybe more.
-- One rumored deal on the table for the Cavs is this: Utah would send the fifth overall pick and forward/center Derrick Favors to the Cavs for the first overall selection. The 6-10, 268-pound Favors is a good player, but the Cavs would be passing on perhaps the best player in the draft in Parker or Wiggins. Who would be available at 5? Players like Oklahoma State point guard Marcus Smart and at least one of the power forwards - Arizona’s Aaron Gordon, Kentucky’s Julius Randle or Indiana’s Noah Vonleh. Favors averaged 13.3 points and 8.7 rebounds for the Jazz last year.
-- The Cavs have discussed a swap of point guard Jarrett Jack to the Brooklyn Nets for shooting guard Marcus Thornton, ESPN.com reported. Thornton has just one year remaining on his contract, while Jack has two.
-- We’re aware that Cavs majority owner Dan Gilbert reportedly offered Kentucky coach John Calipari a lucrative deal to be their coach/president. When news broke on Yahoo Sports, it was also news to Cavs General Manager David Griffin, a source said. Calipari wasn’t the only college coach Gilbert pursued. He reportedly made that kind of offer to two other college coaches, possibly Michigan’s Tom Izzo and Florida’s Billy Donovan.
-- The Spurs have found a way to keep their “Big Three” intact, and they’ve done it by keeping their salaries in check. Point guard Tony Parker is one of the top players in the league. Yet, his contract for 2014-15 is worth $12.5 million, but only $4 million is guaranteed. It’s 99.9 percent certain that they’ll pick up his option for next year, but that is a bargain for a perennial All-Star.
- -Want to know how shrewd the Spurs are? Tim Duncan, perhaps the best power forward in the history of the game, will make $10.3 million next year.
-- Probably no one else in the NBA Finals cost himself more money than Heat point guard Mario Chalmers. He played so poorly, he was taken out of the starting lineup. He’s a free agent. Good luck with that, Mario.

By the numbers
Odds courtesy of Bovada:
Where will Lebron James play his first game of the 2014-15 season?
Miami Heat 1-3
Cleveland Cavaliers7-2
Chicago Bulls13-2
Houston Rockets 13-2
Los Angeles Lakers15-1

About the Author

Bob has covered the Cavs for The News-Herald and Morning Journal since 1995. He's a graduate of Kent State University and New Philadelphia High School. Reach the author at rfinnan@news-herald.com
or follow Bob on Twitter: @BobCavsinsider.